Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-01-07
HOW ALASKANS LIVE.
A THOROUGH MIXTURE OF RACES
AND A PECULIAR PEOPLE.

The Stove a Curious Object-Sim piicity
of the Sleeping Plaees-A Look at
/ the Native Houses-Crawling into a
/ Hut.
/ We came back to Fort Wrangle on the
+ General. on her return from Glacier bar.
when we landed and went on board the
United States steamer Corwin. and set out
for Sitka.
( On our arrival at the capital Of this i'm
mense northwestern possession of ours. we
were greeted with true Arctic manner 4
clustering north wird hurled cloud OF
snow IL. our faces, and covered the deck OF
our vessel with snow and hail We We're
obliged TO lie of the port until the next
morning, the storm continuing all night
We landed on terra frrna twelve hours
after our arrival We found the people
living here to be a thorough mixture of
races and decidedly peculiar Here was
the Russian, and the Aelut from the al "a
cent islands Siberia. Finland. and the
Es1uiulau were al represented. together
with race that comes from the intermar-
riage of the Russians with the natives
We were assigned a room for cooking and
Sleeping, and the first object Of curiosity
was the stove. Ill stoves. except the ones
we brought with Us, are box-iike articles
built Of fragments Of stone, cemaated to-
gether with clay mortar. \ wood fire is
built, and liberal supply of fuel is edded,
until the entire mass is at q ciaring red heat
The Goals and ashes are then removed. O
close fitting damper IS placed cross the fiue
nc 70 tho IF E.a -
cool air passing rapidly through the stove
and up the chimney. After this your cook
ing and heating apparatus is in order for
the next tventy-four hours.
An immense amount Of cooking can be
done on large one. If the party be too
large. there are cookhouses, OF which there
is at least one in every small village.
THE SLEEPING PLACES.
The sleeping places here are equally sim
pie; platform against the side Of the
room, two feet above the floor ard seven
feet long, serves as a bed The lodger has
bat to take his reindeer skin with the hair
on. se7yed up at one end III form Ike a bag,
jump in, lay his head on q bag Of feathers.
draw over him a pair of blankets and
sleep. Sheets, counterpanes. underbacls,
and that sort of sleep arrangement, are IN
known and Unwished for in this region.
The whole coast is dependent upon Alaska 5
great river, the Stecheon. for wool and
lumber. With this father OF Alaska $
waters we shall soon become familiar.
We will take look at the native houses
before we start inland You see a roof
fifteen feet square, from the center Of
which, through a hole, the smoke is pouring
out That IS a native house but no door
is visible or even window. as it contains
neither, and, in passing all round it, you
viii lind only solid ground Here is a
she'd q few yarlls from the house, and. on
entering it. You find a hole in the ground
Getting down on your hands and knees is
singular and undiSnified way of entering
q house. but we proceed. Crawling through
the underground passage. we finally reach
the end, and, pushing aside the scals.iin, We
enter the hut. Everything entering this
house or going ont has to pass this way,
and, judging from the smell, something
ought to 60 out that does not.
Part of the floor is covered with spruce
branches, over which woven grass mats
are spread. Here the inamtes sit. eat,
and sleep, and it is not difficult for one to
infer that short call would be more
agreeable than long one to q stranger IN
used to such seems and odors-Herbert
Bartlett in The Current